ISTANBUL (AP) — A court in Turkey has ordered that a German journalist be released from prison pending the outcome of her trial on terror-related charges.
German writer and journalist Gunter Wallraff, centre, embraces Ali Riza Tolu, right, father of imprisoned journalist Mesale Tolu, of Germany, as Germany’s Ambassador in Turkey, Martin Erdmann, left, looks on, outside a court, in Istanbul, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Media reports say prosecutors are requesting that Tolu who was arrested in Turkey be released from jail pending the outcome of her trial on terror-related charges. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
German foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr says the court ordered the conditional release for Mesale Tolu during a hearing on Monday.
The 33-year-old is being tried together with 17 other defendants, accused of engaging in terrorist propaganda and being a member of a banned left-wing group. She denies the accusations.
Before her arrest in May, Tolu worked as a translator and journalist for the Turkish ETHA news agency.
She is among several German or German-Turkish citizens arrested in Turkey for reasons Berlin considers to be political. Her case is among issues that have soured relations between Turkey and Germany in recent months.
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